Nashville Predators: Three Big Surprises Early in the Season
Rinaldo proving critics wrong
Many, including myself, questioned this signing in the offseason, but, Zac Rinaldo is earning his keep in his first few games with the Nashville Predators
At first glance, Rinaldo didn’t seem to fit a need that the Predators were looking for. His tendency to take too many penalties and play bottom-line minutes seemed to pose little value to Nashville, yet, after eight games, his play has been surprisingly helpful.
To elaborate, Rinaldo isn’t out there to score goals and light up the scoreboard. His role is to bring energy on the fourth line and walk the line of playing aggressively while avoiding unnecessary penalties; something he’s accomplished so far.
His 13 penalty minutes so far are manageable, especially given his style of play. Now, let’s just hope he can continue to avoid taking any major penalties that will force our penalty kill to come up big with the game on the line.
Lastly, there was a high likelihood that Rinaldo might end up in the minors before the first game, but he worked his tail off in the preseason to make the roster. Now he’s appeared in every game and is fresh off of a game-winning goal over the Calgary Flames; the one team that has beaten the Predators this season.
I’m sure we’ll see some blunders from Rinaldo at some point, but he’s been a nice surprise up to this point. Let’s see if he can put together the best year of his seven-year career.
Rinne proving me wrong
You won’t find anyone with more respect for Pekka Rinne than myself. However, I fully expected a dip going into this season after winning the Vezina Trophy. As of now, I’m dead wrong on that prediction. Though five starts Rinne already has a shutout to go along with a .929 save percentage and a goals-against average just over two. It’s a small sample size, but he doesn’t look to be losing any steam at the back end of his career.
His recent undisclosed injury will sideline him the next couple of games, per NHL.com. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean the beginning of the end for Rinne. If he suffered any type of concussion, it’s extremely worrisome at this point in his career. I want him to remain at an elite level for as long as possible, but what worries me is Father Time. Every athlete falls victim to that sooner or later. For Rinne, let’s keep our fingers crossed this doesn’t have any long-term effects on remaining in Vezina form for another season.
It’s a nice surprise to see him off to another great start when I thought he would show some decline. Saros is the future and will eventually become the primary goaltender over Rinne. I expect it to happen at some point this season. I’ll be wrong if Rinne keeps putting up the same numbers he’s put up through his first five starts. If Rinne keeps up these numbers when he does return, he’ll have the Predators in the hunt for another Presidents’ Trophy.
Eeli Tolvanen still in the minors
I have to admit, it’s a little puzzling to see that Eeli Tolvanen has failed to find his way back into the everyday lineup yet.
Given his lack of experience, a slow start from Tolvanen is not exactly shocking, but, after eight games, it still seems wrong to see one of our best offensive prospects struggle to make the big-league squad.
Overall, it is understandable that the organization is giving the 19-year old a chance to gain more ice-time in the AHL before making a permanent transition to the NHL, but, the move seems conservative nonetheless.
In all likelihood, it is fair to assume that the 19-year old will get called back up to the Predators and show how far he developed over the summer; especially after his recent three assist performance for the Admirals.
Hopefully, when he does, assists like this are something we get to see frequently in Smashville:
.@SquatchDonovan puts the Ads on the boards early in the first! 👍 pic.twitter.com/cptIAKSpCz
— Milwaukee Admirals (@mkeadmirals) October 21, 2018
Finally, the Predators are in real danger of losing Tolvanen for the foreseeable future if he plays 10 games in the AHL this year. The situation becomes even dicier should he then opt to go back to the KHL or elsewhere overseas.
Whose roster spot Tolvanen may snatch must also be considered should he get called up in the next week or two. In the most likely scenario, Zac Rinaldo will be substituted out of the lineup, but, as discussed earlier, his play has been decent. Maybe you keep Rinaldo and move out Miika Salomaki?
This is the challenge you face when you have a deep roster full of good players.
Next. Predators Face Tough Test Without Pekka Rinne. dark
Even with his deficiencies, the Predators have to get Tolvanen back up to the big leagues. His talent on the power-play alone warrants him a spot on the NHL roster. It is awful that after nearly 10 games, Tolvanen has still not returned to Nashville. How this unfolds will be determined in the coming weeks, but, the dilemma regarding our 2016 first-round pick is considerably unsettling.